Yesterday was pretty much the "same old, same old" around here, so I didn't put in a journal entry.  Today is pretty much the same, but I figured I did have enough to chat a little about, so here I am---

First of all, the news from Martha Anne is all good.  She was transferred to the rehab clinic and has gotten very positive response from her doctors.  They are pleased with her progress, but no time frame has been set yet for her return home.  She called us this morning and sounded very good--strong, alert, and definitely, not drowsy like she was the other day.

News on Merinda is not quite as good, but it is improving:  She is now is a so-called "regular room" in the hospital, but she apparently has had some neurological injuries, the extent of which they don't know as yet.  She does recognize her children, but then, she forgets.  Her husband is doing very well with his rehab and will be going to his Dad's house to finish his recuperation.  Please keep them both in your prayers.

I received an e-mail from Joey this afternoon telling me about the Emmylou Harris concert that he attended in Denver.  We BOTH enjoy her music very much, and he said that he was definitely satisfied with the show.  He also said that the audience was composed of all ages, with lots of young people there WITH their parents.  I just love her voice, the gentleness and smoothness of her vocals just relaxes me.  Wish I could have been there, but..... Tonight, Joey and some friends are attending Jazz in the Park out there, getting just a little taste of New Orleans.  I'm sure that will be fun as well.

Oh, Joey said he and a group of friends also attended the movie SEX AND THE CITY.  He said just about everyone there was "dressed to the nines" for this one, and the people even talked to the screen.  At first, he thought it was weird, but apparently, that's what's going on with this movie.  He said all of them really enjoyed it--and it was different!

Sid has been working all afternoon on getting our bedrooms organized.  We are switching around some beds from one room to another; he has cut about 1 1/2 inches from the end boards of our bunk bed that he made many years ago so that the mattress fits better; he added "legs" toa twin bed frame that we have so that there is room for our feet when we "make the beds" in the morning; we moved a queen-sized bed from one spot to another in the guest room, allowing the bunk bed to fit in there.  (I bet Randi is wondering what the heck is going on out there!)

Right now, in our guest room, we have the bunk bed (which can hold more than two little ones easily), a twin bed, a queen-sized bed, and a futon (double-bed size), so you see that we can put up quite a few folks here when we get visitors (which we haven't had in a while and are anxious to have--reading this, Kids?).  Of course, my sister is planning a little visit sometime in the near future, and I can't wait for that.  We had such a good time last time she was here.

As you might imagine, changing things is never as simple as it might seem when you start off the project.  For example, the bunk beds were made by Sid, and they are VERY STRONG.  In order to cut the boards to a better length, he had to undo every piece, so each piece was marked with numbers that would correspond to the holes already drilled.  Well, he used two different colors to indicate each side, and the very first one he did, he used the wrong color; of course, that meant having to undo that one, but it wasn't too bad.  Also, after cutting the length, he had to also cut another little support piece that was put when he originally built the bunks (I told you--it's VERY STRONG!), so that was a slight delay.  Now, he just told me that he needs a few more screws because some of the ones he removed were a little crooked.  We can still put in the mattresses, though, so that's good.

Another problem we always seem to have here is lack of space--we have so much stuff in the guest room that it is becoming difficult to move around in there; however, things can very easily be rearranged, and that's next on our agenda.

Tonight, Mis' Dot's grand-nephew came over to help Sid get some of the cement slabs that were around the trailer removed.  I think he also has a friends who will do most of the work and take the cement away--THAT's the biggest problem, so we are grateful for his help in this.

Sid couldn't work in the garden today because IT RAINED last night, and it was quite a lot, so all of our plants and pecan trees were watered sufficiently--at least for now.  Because of the cost of diesel, we have decided that we will mow only the front/back yards and the front part of the front orchard on a regular basis; the rest, we will mow probably every-other-week or so.  We have also decided to let someone make hay from the extra land we have; that doesn't cost anything because they do the mowing and they take the hay--a win/win situation.

Tomorrow begins another week of PT for me--three more sessions.  I can tell that things are not 100% because I tried to help Sid a little today by holding boards and steadying the beds and I can feel an ache in the sciatic area.  Believe me, I do not want to jeopardize the healing progress that I've made, so I am trying to be extremely careful.

Well, I guess that's it for tonight.  Hope you have a great evening and a wonderful week.

"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there."          --Robert Pirsig

NOTE:  This could be part of that idea that "if we're not part of the solution, we're part of the problem".  How can we possibly improve the world and our spot in it if we are filled with the need for improvement within us.  Start inside; head outside!